FIFA World Cup 2026: Can Asian champions Qatar reach the knockouts?

Al Jazeera speaks to Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui ahead of the World Cup, with a shot at knockouts within their grasp.

Previous World Cup appearances: One Best performance: Group stage (2022) First appearance: 2022 (Qatar) Top goal scorer: Mohammed Muntari (1) Most appearances: Abdelkarim Hassan, Boualem Khoukhi, Akram Afif (3 each) Player to watch: Almoez Ali FIFA world ranking: 55

Four years on from their FIFA World Cup debut on home soil, Qatar are gearing up for a new “dream”.

The reigning – and back-to-back – Asian champions head to the June 11-July 19 football tournament in North America, having qualified outright for the first time in the Arab nation’s history.

Making their way to the showpiece after three successful rounds of qualifiers, the Qataris find themselves in an interesting, and potentially inviting, Group B, facing Switzerland, Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The prospect of reaching the knockout stages for the first time appears a realistic target.

The task for the team, according to manager Julen Lopetegui in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, is to take the pressure off – but not at the cost of “ambition”.

In Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar face two strong teams from Europe. Switzerland are making their 13th appearance at the finals, having reached the knockouts in each of their last three campaigns.

The 19th-ranked Swiss, whose best finish has been the quarterfinals on three occasions, are frontrunners to finish as table toppers of Group B.

At number 65 in the FIFA rankings, Bosnia and Herzegovina are placed lower than Qatar, but it would be foolish to write them off based on that alone. Returning to the World Cup for the first time in 12 years, Bosnia and Herzegovina pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the qualifiers when they knocked out four-time world champions Italy on penalties.

Qatar can expect a tough challenge from both European teams, but the two-time Asian champions could take a point or three against Canada, the number 30 team in the world and the co-hosts of the tournament, alongside the United States and Mexico.

Like Qatar, Canada were also winless in their 2022 World Cup campaign, as well as in 2018. Making their third appearance at the finals, the Canadians, too, have yet to reach the knockouts.

Canada put on a mixed performance in their pre-World Cup friendlies, winning two and drawing two.

Talking to Al Jazeera ahead of the tournament, Qatar’s Spanish coach Lopetegui said the team achieved a “big goal” by qualifying for the 48-team World Cup on merit.

While the achievement is